Chai Pani’s Malabar Chicken

If you had to reinvent yourself…if your family’s future, and your personal joy, depended on a new career choice, what would you do?

In the last couple years, many have had to ask themselves this question and resolved that life can be different. No, life can be BETTER than it was before. The brave have pressed a mental reset button and haven’t looked back!

Our friends Meherwan and Molly Irani did just that, a little over a year ago. They tell the story of a pivotal discussion while driving home from vacation in June 2009. With the real estate market crumbling beneath them, they asked each other, “How can we make a living doing something we love? What are we passionate about?” The answer? Food. They were passionate about food.

August 2009, in the middle of the worst economic crisis of our time, they opened the doors of Chai Pani–a ‘fast-casual’ restaurant focusing on affordable Indian street food. They had no experience in the restaurant business and lacked the know-how to run a professional kitchen, but they are smart and resourceful.

Meherwan’s mom flew in from India to collaborate on the menu and help train the cooks. The first three days of business had such an overwhelming response, they ran out of food and had to shut the doors early! They closed shop for 3 more days to revamp their tactics. Then they reopened Chai Pani and have been kicking tail ever since!

Chai Pani just had its first birthday and has doubled all projections this year. It has received the Mountain Express Editior’s Pick for ‘Best New Restaurant’ and ‘Best Lunch’ in 2009. A slightly higher honor (in my opinion) is that it has become an unofficial hangout for some well respected chefs in town!

Meherwan explains, India does not have a restaurant-culture like the US. Most Indians cook well, so they eat at home. When they do eat out, they grab something quick from a street vendor. What you are served at most Indian restaurants in the states is Northern Indian cuisine with a slight British influence. This food would only be served in high-end restaurants in India, not eaten by the vast population.

The Irani’s dream was to intermingle street food with home-cooked dishes from all over India–and prepare them with local and organic ingredients. Meherwan reveals, “Chai Pani offers a new flavor experience for most Americans, because the food is AUTHENTIC. This is how Indians eat.”

The authenticity, quality and prices keep Asheville coming back for more!

The Iranis cordially offered their Malabar Chicken Curry recipe (served on the Thali Plate) to A Spicy Perspective. A vivacious south Indian favorite with tropical flair, that seamlessly marries robust earthy flavors, heat and acidity with the rich cooling effect of coconut. Trust me, this recipe is a keeper!

To prepare Chai Pani’s Malabar Chicken Curry:

Pour ½ cup oil in a large sauce pot over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, curry leaves, and red chiles.

Sauté for 1-2 minutes, then add the ginger and onions. Reduce the heat to medium-low and allow the onions to brown until they are dark and soft enough the smash with a spatula—about 25-30 minutes.

Add the chili powder, coriander, turmeric, and cilantro—mix together.

Raise the heat back to medium and add the tomatoes, salt, and lime juice. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes have disintegrated and the oil separates out—15-20 minutes.

Add ½ cup of water and 1 cup coconut milk. Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat.

In a separate skillet, heat 1 Tb. of oil over high. Add the chicken to the skillet and brown on all sides, leaving the centers pink—2-4 minutes.

Add the chicken to the curry and simmer 5-7 minutes until the chicken has cooked through. Serve over basmati rice.

Directions:

Pour ½ cup oil in a large sauce pot over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, curry leaves, and red chiles.

Sauté for 1-2 minutes, then add the ginger and onions. Reduce the heat to medium-low and allow the onions to brown until they are dark and soft enough the smash with a spatula—about 25-30 minutes.

Add the chili powder, coriander, turmeric, and cilantro—mix together.

Raise the heat back to medium and add the tomatoes, salt, and lime juice. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes have disintegrated and the oil separates out—15-20 minutes.

Add ½ cup of water and 1 cup coconut milk. Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat.

In a separate skillet, heat 1 Tb. of oil over high. Add the chicken to the skillet and brown on all sides, leaving the centers pink—2-4 minutes.

Add the chicken to the curry and simmer 5-7 minutes until the chicken has cooked through. Serve over basmati rice.

Cook's Notes: I went to a small foreign market to collect some of the unique ingredients for this recipe. There, I had no trouble finding everything on my list. Extra curry leaves can be wrapped and frozen for later use. This is a GREAT make-ahead! Letting the curry sit overnight enhances the flavors!

*To make this a "slow carb" recipe, serve over lentils instead of rice.

Making this recipe? Why not take a quick shot and share it on Instagram! Make sure to tag it #ASpicyPerspective so we can see what you're cooking!

63 Responses to “Chai Pani’s Malabar Chicken”

This is such a great story! I kinda teared up reading it! I don't even know your friends and yet, I can't help but hope really hard that their restaurant continues to thrive- it looks like a fabulous place

That is so amazing–it always makes me happy when people finally get to focus and pursue their dreams–and it works out! And a big thanks to the Iranis for sharing this–it looks fabulous and has been saved to make in the near future. All I need are fenugreek seeds and leaves from one of the local Indian markets. I love real Indian food so much.

Ouch… Just skimming through the pictures. Got my mouth salivating like a dog with fever.Love it!

It's so great that a passion can trigger such success. I wish them well. I particularly like their local approach and applying the authentic techniques.

And the Malabar Chicken… I've worked in 5 different Indian restaurants for year… It's sure is one of the stuff in the Authentic Indian menu. (Just so happen I got all the ingredient listed up there in my pantry. I better give it ago later this week)

It makes me feel so good when I see people doing something that makes them happy….I see to many people miserable with their lives….and to me the food industry is so rewarding! Thanks for sharing this success story with us!

This is wonderful to hear about someone following a dream and experiencing great success and joy! Thank you so much for sharing their story… and this awesome recipe… my mouth is watering, I can almost taste the spices! I am also going to forward this on to a friend, she is actually travelling to Asheville this week for vacation so I am sure she will want to check this place out.

While I don't eat meat, I do love Indian food, and this restaurant sounds like a great place. One of the best parts of my visit to India was the smells and sights of street vendor's carts, and trying the different kinds of chaat. What a treat, and another good reason to visit Ashville. (I haven't been there yet, but it's on my list of U.S. cities to check out.)

Thank you for this wonderful review! My husband and I are traveling to Asheville for our summer vacation (we leave tomorrow!) and we've been researching restaurants to try while we're there. We'll definitely be stopping by Chai Pani.

Wow…this is such an inspirational story! I love hearing how people make their dreams happen! Your version looks amazing…Indian food has such wonderful colors and flavors! Beautiful dish and beautiful story. Thanks for sharing!

Ok, Sommer. I'm driving up right this minute to try out that restaurant, will you join me? It looks so amazingly delicious!! I'm definitely adding it to my list of must try's for when I'm in Asheville next month. Yum!! Congrats to your friends, I can see instantly why it's so successful!

Awe, this makes me so happy, Sommer. Opening a restaurant is so hard even for seasoned restaurant people, so it's good to see someone who loves food with a great idea do well. I mean, Indian street food made with natural and organic ingredients-awesome! Cheers to Meherwan & Molly's bravery.p.s. that food looks like the jam-seriously!

I completely agree, this is what Indians eat. Looks very homey.Oops.. i am drooling at the Malabar chicken curry. I blog hopped from Indian Simmer and I am so glad I did. Looking forward to connect with you. Happy Blogging!

This is a lovely piece. The photos are mouth-watering, and the dish actually looks feasible to make! I loved the feature on the restaurant as well–it's inspiring to see people who love street food themes succeed! Thanks for posting.

The food sounds fantastic! And they are adorable. How nice of them to share a recipe. It looks absolutely delicious – I bet I could even pass this off on my Indian food hating family without them even realizing what they were eating.

Thank you Sommer for sharing our story – we are so touched! We love A Spicy Perspective and are so proud of what you have created with your blog and your classes. With all the hard work involved in following your dreams and what you truly love, there is nothing better! Thank you all for your endearing comments and feedback – here's to following what you love and some good home cooked food!!

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Hi there!

Welcome to A Spicy Perspective!

Thanks for stopping by. “All Things In Moderation” is my mantra. I care greatly about health, but also believe that life is short and we should enjoy the little pleasures, guilt free. That would make my second mantra “Will work(out) for food.”